Former NRL star Michael Lichaa has spoken for the first time about the teammate betrayal involving his former fiancée that tore his footy world and life apart – and almost cost him his life.
Lichaa’s world was turned upside down in early 2021 when he discovered his then-fiancée Kara Childerhouse performing a sex act on his Bulldogs teammate Adam Elliott.
The shocking betrayal unfolded at a party in Lichaa’s own home after hours of heavy drinking.
Consumed by rage, he stormed back inside before punching through a window in a moment that nearly cost him his life.
‘It’s not something you want to go through and certainly not something you want to relive,’ Lichaa told News Corp.
‘But honestly, even though it sounds a bit weird, I’ve blanked it all out. I haven’t thought about it in a long time and I have well and truly moved on.’
Michael Lichaa’s engagement collapsed when he caught fiancée Kara Childerhouse (pictured together) in a sex act with close friend and Bulldogs teammate Adam Elliott
A 12-hour drinking session at Lichaa’s Connells Point home ended in chaos when he discovered the affair
Adam Elliott (pictured with wife Millie) admitted his alcohol-fuelled mistake with Childerhouse, later calling it the ‘worst decision of my life’
The aftermath was just as brutal. Lichaa lost 2.5 litres of blood from the deep cut in his arm and required lifesaving surgery.
Police charged him with domestic violence offences after witnesses claimed they heard him shouting threats, but the case fell apart when Childerhouse refused to testify and another witness withdrew mid-hearing.
In court, Elliott confirmed Lichaa’s account of what happened that night, admitting to his role and describing his conduct as the worst mistake of his life.
Magistrate Melissa Humphreys eventually acquitted Lichaa of all charges, clearing his name after months of public scrutiny.
‘I couldn’t get the image of my fiancee performing oral sex on my best friend out of my mind,’ Mr Lichaa told the court at one stage.
Elliott would go on to play another 72 NRL games for the Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights after issuing a public apology, suffering a torn bicep in May and undergoing surgery.
Despite the altercation and emotions running hot at the time, Lichaa has now revealed he does not hold a grudge against his former Bulldogs teammate.
In fact, Lichaa has taken the extraordinary step to forgive Elliott for his role in the betrayal.
Lichaa (pictured with Childerhouse before the scandal) has started a new life working in the building industry
Elliott later moved clubs, signing with the Canberra Raiders and then the Newcastle Knights
Kara Childerhouse (right) refused to testify against her former fiancé, leaving prosecutors unable to pursue domestic violence charges in court
‘I don’t have any hate for Adam,’ Lichaa said.
‘I have moved on. I can now look back at it and say s**t happens. I obviously did not feel that way at the time, but I have forgiven him.
‘It’s not like I have always been an angel. I’ve done some things in my life I regret, so I’m not going to sit here and say a bad word about anyone. What happened, happened, and it is in the past.’
Lichaa said everything was a blur after the incident, but he remembered being arrested with police wrongly assuming he had assaulted somebody.
‘I think I had surgery that day. I was bleeding and in a pretty bad way when the police arrived,’ Lichaa said.
‘I got whacked in a jail cell for the night. Don’t ask me how that happened … Obviously, it was no fun and I have blanked most of it out.
Lichaa, pictured with his wife Jennifer, retired from rugby league after 113 NRL games, including stints with Cronulla, Canterbury, and five Lebanon Tests.
‘I do know it was in a cell by myself and it wasn’t a pleasant experience. But it is what it is and it is all sorted now.’
After winning the premiership with Cronulla-Caringbah in the lower grades, Lichaa said there was interest from NRL clubs.
But after everything that had happened, he knew his footy career was over and he retired in 2027, beginning a new life in the building industry.
Away from rugby league, he has rebuilt his life and found stability with his wife Jennifer.
‘I had some offers to go on, but I had been battling injuries and needed surgery. I still could have played, but I had kind of lost my love for the game by then,’ he said.
‘Obviously it was a tough period of my life, and it’s not something I have ever talked about. It was not something you ever want to go through.
‘But I can look back on it now and say everything kind of happens for a reason. Since then, I met the woman who is now my wife, and we have a daughter together.’
